Winners

Jimmie Johnson — Johnson threw down the gauntlet at Texas, producing a dominating performance that sent a message that he is poised to wrap up his sixth Sprint Cup championship. Of course, he was in this position last year, too. It was not surprising to see Johnson and his Hendrick team step up in a pressure situation — it’s why they have won five championships. We’ll be prepared to crown him champion if Johnson goes out and dominates again next week at Phoenix.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. — “We’re getting close,” Earnhardt Jr. said after finishing second for the third time in the last six races. Another impressive performance, but he’s still not that close. He wasn’t in the same class as his teammate and hasn’t shown the ability to go get a win when it’s on the table.

Joey Logano — Logano has been out of title contention since the first two Chase races, but he scored his third Chase top-five at Texas. He ran up front all day and showed why he made the Chase. Logano and his team still have loads of potential.

Matt Kenseth — Kenseth couldn’t touch Johnson at Texas — who could? — but he did what he had to do, rallying for a fourth-place finish to stay within striking distance. Overcoming a speeding penalty and grinding out a top-five on a day when he was off is exactly why Kenseth still is in title contention.

Parker Kligerman — Who even knew that Kligerman was driving the No. 30 Swan Racing car at Texas? The 22-year-old Kligerman has just one win in 98 starts in the Nationwide and Truck series, but finished a respectable 18th at Texas in his Cup debut.

Losers

Kyle Busch — Busch has had some bad luck, getting collected in a crash at Kansas. But also hurts himself way too often. He did it again at Texas and it cost him dearly in the Chase. A tire problem sent him into the wall, but he put together a remarkable rally to climb all the way back to second. That’s when he got nabbed for speeding on pit road, leaving him with a 13th-place finish and practically ending his title hopes.

Jeff Gordon — Gordon’s title hopes also are over, but through no fault of his own. Gordon blew a tire, causing him to crash and knocking him out of the race. Coming off his win at Martinsville, Gordon deserves credit for challenging in a Chase that he originally wasn’t even in.

Carl Edwards — Edwards is another driver who can’t seem to buy a break. Out of title contention, he won the pole at Texas and led 38 laps early. He faded a bit, but was hanging around the top 10 when his engine blew.